1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a negative electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery, a method for fabrication thereof and a rechargeable lithium battery using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
As one of new types of rechargeable batteries having high power and high energy density, rechargeable lithium batteries have been recently utilized which are charged and discharged by the transfer of lithium ions through a nonaqueous electrolyte solution between the positive and negative electrodes.
The use of lithium-alloying materials, such as silicon materials, as a negative active material of such a rechargeable lithium battery has been studied. Silicon materials and other lithium-alloying materials however expand and shrink in volume when they store and release lithium. Accordingly, such active materials are pulverized or caused to fall off from the current collector upon charge-discharge cycling. This reduces the current-collecting capacity within the electrode and results in poor charge-discharge cycle characteristics, which have been problems.
In the attempt to solve the above-described problems, the present applicant has proposed a negative electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery (International Publication No. 02/21616). This negative electrode is obtained by depositing a layer of an anode mix, which contains a binder and particles of active material containing silicon and/or a silicon alloy, on a surface of a current collector and then sintering the deposit under the non-oxidizing atmosphere.
However, even such a negative electrode of a rechargeable lithium battery encounters an occasion where the layer of anode mix is delaminated from the current collector as the active material expands and shrinks during a charge-discharge reaction, resulting in the failure to obtain satisfactory charge-discharge cycle performance characteristics.